RGV health authorities are concern about vaccine leftovers for the second dose of COVID 19, because it means some residents are not taking it and they are going to waste.
“There can only be a certain amount of vials open for a certain amount of time, otherwise the vials spoil,” Starr County Health Authority Dr. Falcon said. “But there’s also a manpower issue.”
Each vaccination clinic is a lot of work and time for many doctors and nurses and they can’t give away second dose vaccines to unvaccinated individuals.
“We’ve timed it that we know we’re going to end this clinic at a certain time and usually about an hour and a half ahead of time, we count how many vaccines are still on the tables with the nurses and we project the line count and we actually give a cut-off,” Hidalgo County, Health and Human Services Department Chief Administrative Officer Eddie Olivarez said. “Because that way, we don’t want to open a vial and no one shows up, and then that would be a waste. So, we’re making very clear boundaries on that.”
Health officials say that if a patient has called multiple health agencies before securing a vaccine appointment, they also need to be responsible and call the others to cancel their place on the COVID-19 waiting list.
